In the Family Revised
by punkasaurusjess
Summary: Kairion/Zexiri AU Revised Can love start out as sympathy for another? Or is it just trying to fool your heart. Is love for someone who could tear your family apart even worth pursuing?
1. Sympathy

**.:Chapter One: Sympathy:.**

**Author's Notes: ** I've decided to rewrite In The Family; something about the original write wasn't sitting right with me. I hadn't finished; but I felt the need to revise what I'd written so far because I'd hit a plot-block...I tried to move things along too quickly I think. And it was epic fail. Pairings in this fic are: Kairion (main focus), MarLarx (side plot), Zemyx (One-sided; Demyx), SoKai (one-sided; Sora)

The Revision is going to include some of the Final Fantasy characters too Just wait to find out who they are!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, no do I claim to. All Characters belong to their respective creators. Kingdom Hearts (c) Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix/Disney. Final Fantasy (c) Square Enix

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This was the way things were, he knew that... A slate haired teenager sat in the back seat of his family's car, an expensive black sports car. His head was resting in his hands and he was staring out the window. He didn't agree with what they were doing. This kind of stuff, it didn't sit well with him. What his family did was _**wrong**_ . Dealing drugs, selling arms illegally. They weren't things normal people did. And don't forget the kidnappings and ransoms. All of this made sure that Zexion had grown up in a well-to-do setting, but that everything was paid for with ill-gotten money, made him sick.

This kidnapping in particular, sat ill with Zexion Xemnas had ordered them to kidnap the District Attorney's daughter. Zexion had _tried_ to tell them that it was a bad idea. He had tried _so_ hard. But did they listen? Of course not. Zexion had little to offer to his family, he wasn't strong or cruel like his brothers - Saix and Marluxia. He couldn't be brought into the "Family Business" so he was useless. He'd always hated it when his father forced him to accompany on the kidnappings. It had only happened twice before this, but Zexion hated it. He knew, that deep down his father wanted him to be a part of the "Family Business" very much. Maybe, he figured, Xemnas thought that Zexion could handle the office end of things, keep up appearances. It _was_ something he was good at...

Zexion's cousin, Axel was the driver. The red headed man was well known within the family (and by a few outside the family) for his love of arson. Several times he'd been under suspicion and every time thus far, he'd escaped due to "lack of evidence". It couldn't be said the man wasn't careful. Beside Axel, in the passenger's seat sat Zexion's oldest brother, Saix. The tall azure haired man was staring out the window, with a characteristic expressionless look on his face. Zexion knew what sort of business Saix handled, and knew that it was the reason he was always so cold. Saix also followed their father's orders without question, he seemed to think it his "duty" as a son... Also in the back seat was Marluxia, the middle child. If Zexion disliked Saix, he _hated_ Marluxia. He was cruel, ambitious and PROUD - as well as having a penchant for the dramatic. That particular quirk was what drove Zexion to hate the rose-haired man.

The car rounded a corner slowly, the high school that the girl went to came into view, and the car slowed to a stop, pulling up to the curb. A rather imposing building, loomed above them. Teenage boys and girls in uniform were pouring out, walking down the street, boarding buses - all heading for home. He was almost envious of them and their average lives, their miniscule problems. A particular figure caught his eye - a red headed girl, surrounded by friends. One was jumping around happily, a slight girl with short black hair and a broad grin. Another was a brunette, standing next to the redhead, a sweet smile on his face, holding her hand. And the other, a silver haired young man, looking disinterested.

Zexion knew, that the red-headed girl was their "target"... He saw her wave goodbye to her friends as they boarded the bus and walked away from the fray, down the street toward her house. Zexion caught sight of Axel's smirk in the rearview mirror.

"Didn't think we'd be so lucky.'' Zexion heard Marluxia say quietly, smiling wickedly.

"It's not luck." Saix had replied, not taking his eyes off the scenery passing by slowly once more. "It's careful planning."

Axel laughed "Mix of both." he said.

Zexion bit his tongue, staring moodily out the window. He wasn't the type to quickly articulate what he was thinking. And were he to voice his opinion, he'd likely get himself into a bit of trouble with the others in the car.

The red-haired girl came into view again, she'd taken a back road, and now looked nervously over her shoulder. She must have noticed the car, noticed that she was being followed. Zexion wondered vaguely if she'd run. He saw the scene unfold in his head: she would take off down the sidewalk, the car would speed up, quickly coming up beside her, they'd stop and Saix and Marluxia would get out of the car...

He shook his head, the car had stopped.

"All right," Axel said, a Cheshire grin spreading across his face "it's showtime."

Zexion's stomach churned, he wanted to turn from the window, not to watch, but he couldn't look away.

His brothers came up to the girl, Marluxia said something and she shook her head, taking a step back from him, drawing her arm up over her chest. They moved closer to her, closing in. She screamed for help but in an instant Marluxia had clapped his hand over her mouth. They dragged the girl back toward the car, she was kicking and struggling, but his brother's had a strong grip on her.

As she was dragged past, she made eye contact with Zexion. Her indigo eyes pleaded with him "Help me. You don't like what they're doing, help me!"

He shook his head and looked away, guilt eating at him. He almost did something but he quickly realized: there wasn't anything he _could_ do! He heard the trunk slam closed, jolting the car. Saix and Marluxia slid into their seats and closed the doors.

"Floor it." Saix hissed.

And Axel, with a nod and a smile followed orders.

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Kairi's head was pounding when she came to herself again. She tried to rub her head, but found that her hands were bound behind her back. She growled a curse and looked around. She was in a small bedroom, there were no windows and the door was closed. It was dim, the small lamp on the bedside table gave off some light but not enough to make things very clear.

"Hey there, Kairi" A voice said casually, as though addressing a friend.

Kairi looked up, in a chair in the corner nearest her was a tall young man. She recognized him easily enough - Axel Fiamme. Her father had nearly gotten him put away for arson last month, but the trial had fallen through due to lack of evidence.

"What do you want with me?!" Kairi spat at him, mustering all the malice should could and directing at the red-headed man.

"C'mon, you should know. You know who your dad is, don'cha?"

Kairi glared at him "He'll never pay the ransom you know! They'll find me." She hissed, trying to sound sure, but she doubted it...Her heart told her that her chances were slim.

Axel laughed loudly. "You think that's what we want?" his voice was shaking with laughter "You're a lesson."

Her heart plummeted. _Oh God..._ she thought to herself. The words rung in her ears. A lesson. She heard Axel rise from his chair but didn't look over..Light flooded the room and she looked up, Axel had opened the door and was about to leave.

"Oh, and behave yourself, got it memorized?" he said with a smirk.

She jumped when the door closed loudly. The lock clicked and she clenched her fists, biting her lip. Anger rose like bile in her stomach. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs,she wanted to do it simply out of spite. But as quickly as the anger had risen, it had begun to be replaced by sadness. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. As she took a deep shuddering breath, she couldn't keep it in anymore. She was choked up with sobs and everything came out at once. Kairi lay on the floor and cried...

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Zexion stood outside the room, leaning against the wall in the hallway. He had played the kidnapping over and over in his head. The pleading look in her eyes haunted him. She had been _begging_ for his help, and he hadn't done anything. She had _begged_ him. Zexion's train of thought was interrupted when heard the door slam. He looked up to see Axel as he left the room. He shot a glare at the man, who was wearing a cruel smirk. How could someone enjoy taunting someone like that, reducing them to tears. It tore at Zexion to hear the distressed sobs from the other room.

"Something the matter Zexy?" Axel said glancing at the small teen.

"Nothing." Zexion spat back. Axel _knew_ what was wrong. He could tell, this was just another form of taunting.

"Ah..._That's_ what's wrong, am I right Zexy?" Axel said with a smirk, gesturing to the door.

"Don't call me that." Zexion hissed, avoiding the question entirely.

"Don't change the subject. You gotta get used to this stuff. This is what your family does." Axel chuckled to himself "And even if you're not goin' into the business, there's not getting away from it."

Zexion wrinkled his nose, glaring at his cousin. The same old tired argument. The same rehashing of the old statement. "This is your family. This is the way things are; you have to deal with that." He didn't _want_ to deal with it. He sank down onto the floor. Axel had walked away, He sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands. Why did he feel so guilty?

He frowned as he heard loud coughing emerge from behind the closed door. With how often he was sick, he couldn't help but worry about her. Zexion could hardly master the impulse to go in there and see if he could go in there. The coughing grew momentarily worse and he couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up and walked to the door, unlocking it and opening it...

How long she had been laying there crying before the door opened, Kairi didn't know. She couldn't be sure. She looked up to see a slight figure standing in the doorway. Being backlit, she couldn't make out any of their features. They were a mere shadow in the doorway.

She felt so annoyed, so angry. "What do you want?!" She spat angrily "Who are you?"

The figure took a step backward, seemingly upset by her harsh words. "Does it matter what my name is?" the figure replied. It was a young man's voice that replied. It was soft, almost sweet sounding, filled with what sounded like regret or maybe remorse. But there was a certain flatness to it; an apathy. She wondered if the voice belonged to the blue eyed person in the car..

"Why are you here?" she whispered, her voice softer now, she didn't feel as angry with the figure anymore, she didn't want to chew them out.

"I..." The figure paused "I heard you coughing." They turned away from her, she saw their profile. There was something very vaguely feminine about his face... "I just wanted to make sure you were okay..."

"I'm fine." Kairi said weakly, trying to roll over so she wouldn't face the young man standing in the doorway. Somehow, his presence there made her feel even more vulnerable. Almost like she was naked lying there. She could _feel_ his gaze.

"Are you sure?" He asked, it seemed like there was honest concern in his voice . Why would someone who cared at all be here? Why should someone care if she was just meant to be a lesson to her father?

"Yes." Kairi hissed "I'm fine."

"All right."

Kairi heard the door close and the lock click. She sighed, closing her eyes. She was exhausted...Sleep pressed heavy on her eyelids, calling to her - and she heeded to the call.

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Zexion stood outside the door. He took a deep breath shaking his head. He shouldn't have gone in there. He knew there was no way he could have recognized him should she see him again but that wasn't the problem. Seeing her lying there on the floor like that tugged at his heart. The guilt was overwhelming. But was it just guilt?

He sighed softly, bringing his hand to his lips. "How could I have done something stupid like that? What's _wrong_ with me?" He whispered to himself.

"Well, no one knows that but you l'il dude."

Zexion cringed. "Hello Xigbar." he muttered. Xigbar was Zexion's on uncle. A real wise-cracking slacker. Xigbar had gotten into the arms business when he was long and lost his eye in a deal in San Fran gone sour. He looked up at the older man who was standing beside him now.

"You look more out of it than usual. Got somethin' on your mind?"

Zexion shook his head, "Not really..." he said in an off-handed manner. "Just not feeling so great..."

Xigbar frowned, the look of concern was apparent in his eyes. " You're not getting sick again, are you?"

"I don't think so." Zexion whispered. "Just a little tired."

"You _sure_? Don't go keeping it to yourself like you did the last time..."

Zexion felt his lower lip twitch a bit. The last time he'd gotten sick, he'd kept it to himself that he wasn't feeling well. And one day at school he'd simply collapsed and they'd had to take him to the hospital. Now, if he so much as sneezed or coughed they'd watch him like a hawk.

"I'm _fine._"" He growled . "I just had a busy day, that's all."

"Ah!" Xigbar said with what sounded like half a laugh "You went with Saix and Marly today, didn't you?"

Zexion nodded. " Yeah." he _really_ didn't feel like talking about it.

"And..?"

"It's not my thing. Okay?" Zexion said sighing bitterly. "None of THIS" he added, gesturing around him "Is my thing."

"You're gonna do desk work then, right?" Xigbar said. Zexion knew his uncle wasn't an idiot but it didn't seem anyone was willing to see that he didn't want to be a part of it at all...

"I don't think so. I don't want to do any of this."

Xigbar sighed and ruffled Zexion's hair. "You know, your dad says he doesn't care..."

Zexion scoffed "Yeah he _says_ he doesn't care." he said flatly

"Ack, I know dude. But you gotta look at from his point of view, you're his kid, y'know? He just had expectations of you and when you don't live up to them-- "

"Maybe I don't want to live up to those expectations?!" Zexion snapped. Turning away walking off down the hall. "I'm through with trying to gain his approval!"

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**Comments:** And there you have the revised first chapter - hopefully this one is a little better than the first version XD;; I really hope it is... Reviews would be awesome if you really liked it (or didn't even , any kind of feedback would be awesome.)

I actually ended up combining the beginning of the original chapter two - it seemed like it would flow better if it didn't cut the way it had in the original...


	2. Something

**.:Chapter 2: Something.:.**

**Author's Notes:** I've decided to rewrite In The Family; something about the original write wasn't sitting right with me. I hadn't finished; but I felt the need to revise what I'd written so far because I'd hit a plot-block...I tried to move things along too quickly I think. And it was epic fail. Pairings in this fic are: Kairion (main focus), MarLarx (side plot), Zemyx (One-sided; Demyx), SoKai (one-sided; Sora)

The Revision is going to include some of the Final Fantasy characters too Just wait to find out who they are!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, no do I claim to. All Characters belong to their respective creators. Kingdom Hearts (c) Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix/Disney. Final Fantasy (c) Square Enix

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Kairi had fallen into a restless sleep, filled with nightmares. Several times, she had woken up with a jolt, forgetting where she was. It was hardly a restful night. At some point, hours later, Kairi didn't know the exact time as she had been denied the luxury of a clock in her captivity, the door opened. Kairi squinted.

"Good morning, Princess." Axel said, swaggering into the room and sitting down in the chair he'd been in the night before. "How'd you sleep?" he said, leaning backward, allowing the back of the chair to touch lightly against the wall behind him.

"You tell me." Kairi growled, pulling against the bonds, there was a nasty throb of pain but she ignored it.

"Awfully fiesty, aren't you?" Axel replied raising a delicate eyebrow.

Kairi bit her lip, looking away. Her wrists kept throbbing with pain, the rough bonds were starting to cut into her skin and with every movement, however slight, they seemed to cut in even deeper.

"You know, if you behave _maybe_ you'll get out of this alive."

"Right!" Kairi growled, "I'd rather not know what 'behaving' would constitute!"

"Suit yourself." Axel muttered rising from the chair. He came over to her, kneeling down so that they would see eye to eye. He brought his hand to gently cup Kairi's chin. "But you're going to have to get used to just lying there. You're going to be here for awhile...Wouldn't you rather it be as _pleasant _ as possible?"

Kairi shuddered, whether it was fear or slight disgust - or a mix of both she couldn't entirely be sure. The thick smell of cologne was burning her nostrils, there was a hint of smoke there too

"As if!" she hissed, "You act so friendly, but I can hear those veiled threats. If you're gonna kill me anyway, why should I try to make things 'better' for myself!?"

Axel laughed and stood up. "You've got a point there Kairi. But still, don't forget. You'll be here a _loooooooong_ time before anyone's decided just what we're going to do with you .And while you're here, you at _my mercy_ ." He added, walking toward the door. He looked over his shoulder, casting her a glance that sent a shiver of terror down her spine. "Just remember that."

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Zexion stood outside the room where they were keeping her, a tray of food in his hands, which wouldn't stop shaking.

_Well THIS was awfully nice of them to force me to do._ he thought bitterly as he fetched the key to unlock the door. The door squeaked as it opened and he saw the girl's head snap up to look at him. He walked slowly into the room, carefully closing the door behind him. He set the tray on the bedside table, and kneeled down beside her.

"What do you want?" The girl whispered softly, her voice shaking as though she'd been crying. And judging from her red and puffy eyes, to assume so wouldn't be far off the mark.

"I'm supposed to bring you something to eat." Zexion replied curtly, trying to keep any emotion out of his voice.

"What's the point of feeding me?" She snapped, glaring at him, "Aren't I just destined to be killed and dropped of somewhere with a warning note where my father can find me?!"

Zexion flinched slightly, that wasn't what he had been told. They were going to hold her for ransom. Right? "That's not what I was told." He said simply, "You're being held for ransom."

"Mm-hm." Kairi said in a know-it-all tone. "That's not what your associate Axel told me." She hissed.

Zexion sighed, why did she have to make this so hard? "Look, can I untie you so you can eat this, or are you going to try to run away the moment I do?"

She was almost resigned to her fate at this point, but if he took off the cords on her wrists, what would she do? Kairi could see herself pushing him out of the way and making a run for the door. But what would be the point? She didn't know where she was. She could be in the middle of nowhere, for all she knew. Even if Kairi managed to get out of the room - where would she go from there? Kairi had begun to examine the young man kneeling before her. He was small for his age, assuming he was a little bit older than her, pale and thin. But she realized something, the young man kneeling before her was the same person she had seen, looking out the window of the car. The same dark blue eyes beneath thick lashes. The same look of melancholy and regret.

"No. You can go ahead. I won't 'try' anything." Kairi replied, looking at him directly.

She let out a sigh of relief when the cord around her wrists had been loosened and slipped off. The young man grabbed the tray off of the bedside table and set it before her. He sat in front of her, keeping a close watch. Kairi noticed that his hands were shaking rather violently, despite the calm expression he was wearing...

Zexion didn't want this to end up badly. First off, if she _did_ try to escape, there was no way he could know what to do. And if she _DID_ escape, there was no telling how his family would react to his failure to keep a young girl from getting away.

"Your hands are shaking." The girl before him muttered, she had practically torn into the food she'd been given.

"Are they?" Zexion muttered, almost to himself. Yes, they were shaking, he'd felt that they were. He hated being nervous, the flighty feeling never suited him.

"Yes." The girl said, seeming to force a laugh, but the smile on her face seemed genuine. She sighed and hung her head slightly, "I..." she paused "I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes..? What is it?"

She stopped, as if she was afraid to ask the question. "What's your name?"

"My-My name?" Zexion stuttered in reply. He couldn't possibly answer that question - if she knew his name. Well, he could surmise that knowing only his first name wouldn't really do any harm but...Then again, it wasn't a very common name. He racked his brain, he could give her a false name; would that do? That would work.

"It's...It's Evan." he said quickly, looking away from her.

Kairi frowned and tilted her head slightly. "Evan?" she said softly. It was a nice name, but a part of Kairi knew that wasn't the real name of the young man. But it was good enough, at least now she had a name to go with the face. _And maybe_ she thought _maybe someone to talk to..._ He seemed to a point kind but lonely, maybe sad. As if no one really understood him. But then, a lot of teenagers seemed like that.

"Evan," Kairi said, looking up from the now empty plate in front of her "why, why didn't you do something?" she muttered.

Zexion blinked and shook his head "What are you talking about?"

"Please, don't play innocent with me." She seemed to be quite upset. "You were in that car when they kidnapped me. I _saw_ you." She whispered. "Why didn't you do something?"

Zexion sighed softly. "What _could _ I do?" he said "There was nothing." he muttered. "There was nothing I could do to help you."

"But you wanted to, didn't you?" she whispered, turning so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

He cleared his throat. "That's not important now."

Kairi rose up, "No." she snapped "It _is_ important now! You wanted to do something, to stop them from kidnapping me but you did _nothing!_ You stood idly by while something illegal was happening! "

Zexion bit his lip. "I couldn't do anything! That was my family! I couldn't--" Zexion stopped. He shouldn't have said that...

She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head inquiringly "Your _family?" _ She whispered in shock.

He cringed and stood up. "I shouldn't have told you that." he whispered to himself, turning toward the door. "I...I have to go." he opened the door and left, locking it after he'd closed it again. He let out a hiss of breath.

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Kairi sat there, staring blankly at the door after he had left. The way he spoke left her with a lingering feeling that _she'd _ somehow done something wrong. She didn't know why. He had been the one not to do a thing when he could have helped... _But could he have helped me? _ she thought suddenly. She understood loyalty to one's family, she understood that those were bonds not easily undone. Kairi sighed. Evan seemed so...he seemed so upset by what they had done though. She shook her head sadly.

She stood up and stretched, looking at her wrists. They were swollen and rubbed completely raw. She resisted the urge to touch the raw skin which stung enough already simply from contact to the air. But there was only one thing on her mind now. Evan. She didn't know why, but there was something about him that pulled her toward him. Something that made her feel as though she weren't so alone, as though she weren't doomed. He gave her some sort of vague hope.

Kairi decided that it would be for the best to just sleep some more. After all, there was nothing else she could do, and sleep was the one place where she could feel safe, feel comfortable. And perhaps now, her dreams wouldn't be so unnerving.

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"What do you MEAN no one's seen here?!" Sitting in a small kitchen, one of Kairi schoolmates, the young brown haired boy with the broad grin slammed his hands down on the table, rising from her chair. He looked around him "How could no one have seen here?!" he shouted "People don't just disappear of the face of the earth!" He looked around the room, everyone around them hung their heads.

"Sora..." whispered his best friend, a silver haired young man who was standing away from the rest, leaning against the wall. "They're doing everything they can."

"They could be doing more!" Sora shouted, tears glimmering in his eyes.

Everyone in the room winced, Sora was normally so optimistic and good-natured.

He bit his lip, "They'll find her, right?" he whispered softly. "They've GOT to find her..."

But, it seemed no one had answer. There was silence that was suddenly broken by a soft sob...

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"Why do you keep coming in here?" Kairi asked. Over the last three days, Evan had been coming into the room where she was kept, the pair of them talked for short amounts of time, and always he was jumpy and nervous.

"There's..." He paused "There's no one else to talk to." He shrugged slightly. He seemed less nervous today than usual.

"What about Axel?"

Evan scoffed. "What about him?" he sneered.

"Couldn't you talk to him?"

"No. It'd be completely useless..." He seemed all-too able to say these sorts of things, Kairi took note of that; he didn't like the people around him at all. "He's..." he sighed in a resigned matter. "There's not a word for what Axel is." he added.

Kairi nodded, she hated Axel too but then, she didn't know anything of him but the face he showed to his enemies...but from the way Evan talked, that was almost all there was to him.

Over the next week, the visits from Evan continued and Kairi began to understand what kind of a person he was... She found out that he couldn't stand his family, what they did made him sick.

"But then why don't you just go?" Kairi asked. "Why don't you just get out of here and never come back?"

Evan looked at her"Because I can't. I hate them but I can't just leave, I can't just run away. They're my _family._ " he said. Kairi could hear the regret in his voice, the guilt. He didn't like hating them but he couldn't help it. And for whatever reason, he still felt loyal to them... For the most part, at least.

Kairi also came to understand that Evan was sick a lot, it was some sort of immune disorder, nothing he could do about it. She found out that the last time he was sick, he'd spent a week in the hospital. _Why is he telling me all of this?_ she asked herself. _What good does it do?_

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...:...:xxx:...:...

--

Zexion stood outside the room. He didn't know why but when he was around her, he felt like he could tell her anything, that she would understand. Like she wouldn't mock or ridicule or think less of him. No matter what. He shook his head and laughed bitterly. _What a joke._ He hated that they had to meet under these circumstances, maybe some other way, some other place they could have been...Friends? Maybe even lovers? It was stupid. He knew it was stupid. They wouldn't have met otherwise, and they way they'd met ensured nothing could ever happen.

_Besides_, he thought _she probably only talks to me because she has no one else to talk to. 'Stockholm Syndrome' . _

He was jarred suddenly out of his thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. He looked up to see Saix standing there, and the look in his eyes told Zexion he wasn't very happy.

"What is it?" Zexion asked quietly.

"You know what it is. How much have you told her? What does she know?" Saix growled.

Zexion's heart plummeted. He knew. He knew he'd been talking to her, every day. Saix knew. "I-- Nothing. Nothing that could be used against us."

Saix narrowed his eyes at Zexion, as though looking for some indication that he was lying. He crinkled his nose. "You could get us thrown in jail, Zexion. Is that what you want?"

Zexion scowled. "Of course not!" he cried. "Why the hell would I want that?!"

Saix sneered. "Don't speak with her again, don't go into that room again. Do you understand me?" he said in a commanding tone his yellow eyes watched Zexion closely.

Zexion bit his lip. "I won't."

"Good." Saix hissed, turning on his heel and heading down the hall. Zexion watched Saix disappear into the living room, then leaned against the wall and closed his eyes...

_This girl..._ He thought _She's going to tear everything apart, isn't she?_

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--

"So, Saix is pretty pissed at you, huh?" said a young teen, teal eyes glittered from under a few stray strands of light brown hair, the style of which could only be described as a mix between a mullet and a mohawk.

Zexion nodded sullenly. "Yeah." He muttered, looking over at Demyx.

Demyx and Zexion were sitting on the front porch of Demyx's home. They'd been friends since they were little kids although the only reason they were friends at all was probably because their parents were friends. Otherwise, the two probably would never have spoken.

Demyx frowned. "Well...Did you tell her anything you shouldn't have?"

Zexion shook his head. "No, not really..." he sighed "Not anything that could have been tracked back to the family."

"Huh. That's weird, why's Saix so upset then?"

"He didn't believe me." Zexion replied, looking away at the street. The setting sun glimmered on the cars parked at the curb and in the driveway.

Demyx scoffed. "What an ass." he shook his head. "Like you've ever told a real lie to them in your life."

Zexion cringed at the words. "Yeah..." he rose from the step and looked back at Demyx, "I'm gonna head home. I'll see you around." He waved slightly and headed down the walk,

"All right," Demyx called "See ya."

As Zexion walked down the quiet street, seeing only one or two people the whole way home, he started thinking... What if...What if he helped her get away? He didn't like the idea of his family getting thrown in jail, even though he knew they deserved it, being completely alone like that would kill him...But at the same time, he didn't want her there anymore. Every visit to talk to her made him so upset. He loved seeing her, talking to her, hearing the sound of her voice but he didn't want her to be stuck here until her father paid the ransom or in the end, his father decided that she was useless and had her murdered.

He shook his head, stupid idea. Really stupid idea. _She'd probably implicate me too..._ But then you could always testify, said the other said of him, they'd put you in witness protection and you'd get back at them..But then he'd never see her again, at least if they lived in the same city there was some chance, however slim... A car passed, blaring loud music out the windows, a cold breeze blew. Zexion wrapped his arms over his chest, as though to shield himself from the cold. The bitter metallic scent of winter was already in the air. Well, it was October already, wasn't it?

She'd probably be gone by the end of the month. His family would kill her whether literally, or emotionally.

_Maybe...maybe I should._ He thought. Zexion wanted to... More than anything it seemed suddenly, that he wanted her to be happy, what happened to him didn't matter. He sighed again, now THAT was stupid. But there was just something about her.

He couldn't let her suffer.

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...:...:xxx:...:...

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**Final Notes: **God. This chapter took forever, sorry! I just got hit with some major writer's block! Forgive me!


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